Where should I put my camera this winter?

[yakimanoob]

Obviously not asking for a specific spot.  Just curious what you guys go for with your cams over the winter. 

Calving ground for elk or deer?  Try to figure out their late-winter movements for shed hunting? 

I have half a mind to hike deep into a basic and hang a big chunk of frozen meat in a tree and see what comes wandering by. 

What about you?

[Naches Sportsman]

I put mine on migration routes and wintering grounds.

[vandeman17]

Depends on what critters you are trying to get capture in your pictures. I try to put cameras in their winter range near a food source.

[fishngamereaper]

Put em in the shop and re hang in the spring...

Makes em last longer.

[Skyvalhunter]

Maybe you could put it in the elk calving area so we could see the cougars and wolves feasting

[wheels]

if you find well used game trail or  what i like to call deer elk highway  good place or on something that will draw them there maybe water

[yakimanoob]

Maybe you could put it in the elk calving area so we could see the cougars and wolves feasting

That's high on my list, actually.  I found a spot a bear (or bears) has been using over at least a couple years based on the decomp of the bones in the area.  It's just outside the Oak Creek feeding station area.   

[Twispriver]

I always put a couple of mine on my trapline - I suck at trapping but I'm good at attracting things to look at the traps and get some cool pictures.

[kselkhunter]

Curious about this thread.  Do you leave it up all winter?   Does the camera survive all the snow and winter weather?   

Interested in what you learn about winter activity in the wilderness.  And whether the camera survives.

[Kit Carson]

I always put a couple of mine on my trapline - I suck at trapping but I'm good at attracting things to look at the traps and get some cool pictures.

  

[NOCK NOCK]

I just dropped 3 for over winter. This is the year I get my targeted specie........moose in central wa.
Tried for moose Last year, but got some dandy bucks instead.

A few years ago I put one on my deer carcass remains, ended up getting some real cool golden eagle videos.

[cougforester]

I just dropped 3 for over winter. This is the year I get my targeted specie........moose in central wa.
Tried for moose Last year, but got some dandy bucks instead.

A few years ago I put one on my deer carcass remains, ended up getting some real cool golden eagle videos.

The only mega fauna I haven't gotten in NCW is a wolf, which probably is a good thing. I just drug a salvaged deer carcass to a camera of mine .5 miles off a road, pretty excited to see what comes to hit that.

[NOCK NOCK]

I just dropped 3 for over winter. This is the year I get my targeted specie........moose in central wa.
Tried for moose Last year, but got some dandy bucks instead.

A few years ago I put one on my deer carcass remains, ended up getting some real cool golden eagle videos.

The only mega fauna I haven't gotten in NCW is a wolf, which probably is a good thing. I just drug a salvaged deer carcass to a camera of mine .5 miles off a road, pretty excited to see what comes to hit that.

Me too, no wolf yet.      I did get a bull moose this summer, but on a deer set cam. go figure

[cougforester]

I just dropped 3 for over winter. This is the year I get my targeted specie........moose in central wa.
Tried for moose Last year, but got some dandy bucks instead.

A few years ago I put one on my deer carcass remains, ended up getting some real cool golden eagle videos.

The only mega fauna I haven't gotten in NCW is a wolf, which probably is a good thing. I just drug a salvaged deer carcass to a camera of mine .5 miles off a road, pretty excited to see what comes to hit that.

Me too, no wolf yet.      I did get a bull moose this summer, but on a deer set cam. go figure

I only got a cow on a camera. Saw a little bull swimming in a lake though and got some good pictures.

To the OP, sorry for the thread jack. I set mine on the south sides of hills to try and catch animals as they’re sunning themselves, and areas where I know lots of does hang out. I want to see the migration come through. I’m pulling a few other ones for elk and will be putting them on my duck hunting property on time lapse mode on our ponds to monitor when/if waterfowl is using the ponds when I’m not hunting.

[yakimanoob]

Well I decided to put my camera back at that same spot (see the "Popular Place" thread) -- this time complete with the spine and ribs of my elk that's been hanging in my shed for several weeks.  It was pretty dry when I set it, but I can't wait to see what comes by. 

I couldn't help myself and snagged a Browning Strike Force Elite off Amazon, which will be here this Tuesday.  So I've got one cam on bait in elk wintering grounds, and one that will need a home.  I'll probably play with it around my house taking photos of coyotes first. 

Anyone put them deep in the mountains for the thick of winter, just to see what's moving around?  I've heard rumors of some wolverines near Mt Adams, and think it would be pretty sweet to catch one of those!

[nwwanderer]

Try to document a new pack, a pair now and pups in the spring be good(?)

[HighlandLofts]

I always put a couple of mine on my trapline - I suck at trapping but I'm good at attracting things to look at the traps and get some cool pictures.

Twisp
 Do you have any pics or better yet video to share, Never thought about using a trail cam on a trap line.

[HighlandLofts]

For those of you putting your deer or elk bones out for your trail cams, why not go to the dairy farms or the stock yards over there in Eastern Washington and get some dead calves or a whole cow that died to cut up for real meat for your cameras.

For those of you are successful your gut pile is a good place to set up a camera. There are many visitors to your gut piles.

[smdave]

Gut pile = lots of Ravens neighbor dogs. Couple of cooler pics I got this year.

Look how cleaned up it is in one day.

[HighlandLofts]

Nice picture of the cat. Thanks for posting.

[yakimanoob]

Gut pile = lots of Ravens

Heh, yeah, I put it on video mode, and I'm expecting to have several hours of crow/raven activity to sift through.

[nwwanderer]

WDFW will hang you for putting out deads in wolf country, be careful out there

[yakimanoob]

A good reminder (mine's in Bethel unit, so hopefully won't have any wolf activity). 

On that note; can anyone point me to the rules about cameras/bait/etc.?  Is it actually illegal to put an elk carcass out as camera bait?

[farmin4u_98948]

I know that the forest service out of Naches was using road kill last winter

[HighlandLofts]

WDFW will hang you for putting out deads in wolf country, be careful out there

They say there are no wolves so putting deads out shouldn't be a problem.

[NOCK NOCK]

WDFW will hang you for putting out deads in wolf country, be careful out there

  could you elaborate on this.

[smdave]

I didn't leave it out, it is in a pile on my own property.

[nwwanderer]

WAC 246-203-121, plus, it is part of coop agreements with ranchers.  Yes, we have rules for every imaginable subject

[HighlandLofts]

WDFW will hang you for putting out deads in wolf country, be careful out there

So they will hang you for putting dead bait out for your trail camera, but you only get life in prison for killing 49 woman and dumping them along the Green river.

[nwwanderer]

Sorry, I sent this down a rabbit hole unrelated to the subject.  If you use the protein based stuff place it will away from prying eyes and post your results!!!

[Skyvalhunter]

 

[smdave]

Sorry, I sent this down a rabbit hole unrelated to the subject.  If you use the protein based stuff place it will away from prying eyes and post your results!!!

This is from WAC 246-203-121 Disposal of dead animals.

(c) "Dead animal" means the carcass or tissue from an animal

So that includes gut piles if you read it that way.

(g) "Natural decomposition" means natural decay on the surface of the ground without cover material.

(2) Disposal methods.
(a) Within seventy-two hours after death or discovery, the owner of a dead animal or, if the owner of the animal cannot be identified, the owner of the property on which the animal is found must properly dispose of the dead animal. A dead animal must be covered or otherwise removed from public view immediately upon discovery by the person responsible for disposing of the dead animal.

(c) The person responsible for disposal of a dead animal must dispose of it by burial, landfilling, incineration, composting, rendering, or another method approved by the local health officer (such as natural decomposition) that is not otherwise prohibited by federal, state, or local law or regulation.

[Skyvalhunter]

And we digressed.

[yakimanoob]

In other news, I was a moron and set it in a location I can't easily get to until May 1, on video mode...   It's a Bushnell Essentials E3, which is excellent, but no way those batteries will last past January/February soooooooooo I'll have to find a Saturday I want to burn snowshoing to it to change batteries and put it back in photo mode .

[yakimanoob]

Plus my new Browning Strike Force Elite arrived yesterday, so I'm still open to suggestions for camera #2

[Naches Sportsman]

If I was looking for wolverines or foxes, I'd set the camera somewhere north of the reservation boundary in the Rimock gmu for an option or east of the park boundary in the 356. I had one up there last winter and got a few critters on it.

Btw, you may be able to drive up to cam #1 still. Not much snow fell out of the last storm and the road was still open when I went by yesterday.

[yakimanoob]

If I was looking for wolverines or foxes, I'd set the camera somewhere north of the reservation boundary in the Rimock gmu for an option or east of the park boundary in the 356. I had one up there last winter and got a few critters on it.

Btw, you may be able to drive up to cam #1 still. Not much snow fell out of the last storm and the road was still open when I went by yesterday.

That would require having time to drive up there...  I'm swamped until week after new years at this point.